Sicily on €21/Day: Sleeping in a €3 Rental Car

AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE

The cheapest rental we’d ever booked was in Catania – €3.12/day. Seven days in Sicily in February:

ITEM	COST (2P)	NOTES
Car Rental	€21.84	€3.12/day via DiscoverCars, 7 days, €3/Day Rental Car Guide.
Fuel	€98.00	€14/day, ~1200km Self-service pumps only
Tolls	€22.00	Scenic backroads to avoid tolls. Google Maps for free parking.
Stay	€0.00	Slept in the rental car.
Food	€115.00	€8.21/day per person Shopped at Lidl + local pizza (€5)
Sights	€40.00	Per person: €14 – Valley of the Temples (+ €5 parking) €3.50 – Oasi Faunistica di Vendicari
TOTAL	€296.84	7 days at €21.20/day per person

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Getting There

We got in on an Itabus 8-hour overnight bus from Naples (€20). Flew out to Malta with Ryanair for €16 (small carry-on only). Sicily was the third stop on a 23-day trip – full overview: Southern Italy & Malta on €31/Day.

Flying

Both Catania (CTA) and Palermo (PMO) airports are cheap hubs for flights with Ryanair and Wizz Air. If you’re flexible with your dates (check the flexible departure option on Skyscanner) and travel with a small bag, flights under €20 are possible to Germany, France, Poland, Switzerland, Greece, Spain, the UK, within Italy and to Malta.

Bus

Itabus and FlixBus compete aggressively on Italian routes, which keeps prices low. Compare both on Omio, but book directly to save €1–€2 on each trip. Always check for promo codes before buying. 10–20% discounts are easy to find.

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Car Rental at Catania Airport

Catania was the cheapest rental we’d ever booked – €3.12/day.

• Cost: We paid €21.84 for 7 days (€3.12/day) via DiscoverCars (my review).
• Current Prices: Small cars from €10–€20/week off-season at the time of writing. It is one of the cheapest car rental locations in Europe – European Car Rental Price Comparison. High season prices are much higher.
• Provider: Viaggiare. 4.5/5. Skeptical going in due to the price. No excessive upselling at the counter. Return was smooth – inspector flagged one scratch, we had a photo that proved it was pre-existing.
• Vehicle: Ford Tourneo. Booked: Intermediate (Skoda Kamiq or similar).
• Excess: €2,000. Deposit: €900. We were covered by Cover4Rentals and declined all desk upsells. Full process: €3/Day Rental Car Guide.
• Tolls: Backroads are free and more scenic. Set Google Maps to “Avoid Tolls.”
• Fuel: Google Maps displays real-time prices. Use self-service pumps only – if an attendant helps you, you will be charged a higher rate.

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Sleeping in a Rental Car in Sicily

Ford Tourneo. 2/5. Avoid. We went bigger thinking more space meant more comfort. It didn’t. The seats didn’t fold flat – the drop between the cargo area and the folded seats was close to 1 meter, making the full length unusable. One person fit diagonally in the back, the other had to take the reclined front seat. The car also burnt more fuel and felt cumbersome on narrow Sicilian roads. Stick to smaller cars. Full sleeping audit: Best Rental Cars to Sleep In.

• Legality: No national prohibition in Italy. Car sleeping is generally tolerated. Full guide: Sleeping in Rental Cars.
• Facilities: Minimal. Public toilets are scarce and often dirty. Lidl has reliable ones.
• Overnight Spots: Use park4night to find spots. Off-season, we saw very few other campers. I’ve also linked our actual sleeping spots on Google Maps in the Route section below.
• Backup Accommodation: Booking.com has the widest selection – sort by lowest price, filter to 7.0+.

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Food

We shopped at Lidl – by far the cheapest supermarket in Italy. Picked up a full pizza at local spots three times for €5 each.

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Route

Catania

We arrived in Catania in the morning by bus from Naples. We explored the city: Basilica Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta, Fontana dell’Elefante, and Villa Bellini/Chiosco Bellini, before heading to the airport in the evening to pick up the rental car. We found our first sleeping spot in the parking lot next to the shopping center Etnapolis. Peaceful night and there are toilets in the shops.

Mount Etna (Night Hike)

We had heard that Etna was erupting. The news coverage was useless – no locations, no details on how to actually get there. I dug through local Facebook groups and found a brief mention of a trail that passed close to the lava flow.

We woke up at 3am, drove up, and hiked two hours in total darkness through snow on the Pista Altomontana trail, completely alone.

The lava had already crossed the trail and blocked the path – you could feel the heat and sulphur before you could see anything. We headed down alongside the flow for about 10 minutes and there it was. Actual lava. Surreal experience. The flow was moving maybe a meter an hour, occasional hot rocks tumbling down, totally safe. A couple of Sicilians were there too, nobody else.

We stayed until sunrise – once the light came up, the glow disappeared.

Syracuse and the Southeast

Later we drove to Syracuse, where we checked out the Island of Ortigia, Fountain of Diana, Temple of Apollo, and the Statue of Archimedes.

We drove up and slept next to the road. We wanted to hike down to the canyon the next morning, but the weather was too rainy and you couldn’t see anything in the fog. Instead we did some hiking in Oasi Faunistica di Vendicari (€3.50 ticket), where we saw lots of pink flamingos. The trails were covered with water – we had to take off our shoes.

The rest of the day we spent driving around the Sicilian Baroque towns of Noto, Ragusa Ibla, Scicli, and Caltagirone (UNESCO site) – all very picturesque. The area is quite hilly and you can get really good viewpoints overlooking the towns, they are all in the same area.

Later we started driving toward Agrigento and found a sleeping spot halfway there next to the sea. It felt slightly sketchy with a lot rubbish dumped there (unfortunately a common sight in Sicily), but the night was peaceful.

Agrigento and the South Coast

The next day’s main attraction was Valley of the Temples – we chose it over Villa Romana del Casale and Neapolis Archaeological Park as the one ancient site we definitely wanted to visit in Sicily. The others we either found too repetitive having just visited Rome and Naples, or too far out of the way. Valley of the Temples is an Ancient Greek complex – we spent around 3 hours there, took it slowly, and absolutely loved it. Ticket: €14/person (€7 for EU nationals under 25) or free on the first Sunday of the month. Parking is paid too.

Later we drove on and found a free parking spot and hiked down to Scala dei Turchi – beautiful white cliffs. The rest of the afternoon we spent heading westward before arriving in Marsala in the evening, with its beautifully restored Baroque center. We found a sleeping spot nearby.

Northwest: Marsala, Trapani, Erice, and Palermo

We started the next day at the Trapani Salt Pans, a protected wetland.

Then we drove up to Erice – although the route Google Maps suggested turned out to be restricted, with a sign prohibiting entry. We turned back and climbed up from the other side. Erice is beautifully located on a hill. The views and the old town with its cobblestone streets were worth it. The town felt a bit deserted – we didn’t see many locals, mostly tour groups.

Heading east along the north coast, we visited Monreale after managing to find a parking spot – not an easy feat. Driving our bulky rental through the narrow Sicilian streets was an experience in itself. Unfortunately we didn’t check opening times and the cathedral was closed for lunch. Still a beautiful sight – Norman style. We spent the rest of the day getting to and exploring Palermo: cathedral, theatre, historical center, Quattro Canti square.

We slept on a totally empty big parking lot, not far from the coast and highway.

North Coast, Godfather Villages, and Taormina

The next day was long. We started with Cefalù Cathedral, in a very beautiful coastal town.

Then we headed east toward Messina. We took the free coastal road hoping for views – in hindsight it was a long grind. Next time I’d just take the paid motorway. We also tried to cut through the mountains via San Martino directly to Naxos, but an hour in it turned out the road was impassable – roadworks and landslides, poorly signposted. Still a beautiful drive. Foggy, humid mountains.

We turned back and headed to Messina, then on to two villages featured in Godfather: Savoca and Forza d’Agrò. Both very small and very beautiful, with visible tourist traffic earlier in the day – by late afternoon they were empty.

After sunset we arrived in Taormina for a night walk. Didn’t enjoy it as much as the other cities – it felt too touristy, not as old in a charming way as the rest of Sicily. We slept not far from town close to the sea on a dirt parking lot.

Mount Etna (Day Hike)

The last full day, we headed back to Etna. We drove all the way up to Rifugio Sapienza – parking was nearly impossible on a sunny Sunday, with plenty of locals heading up too. We hiked for around 2 hours up the snowy slope (alternatively there’s a cable car).

In the evening we drove back up to the same trail from our first night (Pista Altomontana), hiked up, waited for sunset, and saw a new lava flow that had just started – the first one had already cooled. Surreal experience, again.

We slept at the same Etnapolis parking lot as our first night. Next morning we returned the car at the airport and boarded the flight to Malta.

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Season

We went in February and it was a perfect decision. The car rental was extremely cheap. There were no crowds at the major attractions. It wasn’t hot, but it was mostly sunny. Night temperatures of around 10°C were perfect for sleeping in the car.

I would strongly advise against coming during the summer high season. Car rentals cost at least twice as much. The heat can get unbearable. Major attractions will be packed.

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Practical

Currency

Euro (€). Cards are accepted almost everywhere. Revolut works well – note the 1% weekend markup on currency exchange.

SIM

Italy is covered by EU Roam Like at Home rules. If you have a European SIM, no extra charges.

If you don’t have one, check eSIMDB, filter by data needed, trip length, and sort by price.

Lyca Mobile Italy runs eSIM-based promos for €6/month – worth checking their site before buying anything else.

Language

Italian (and the local Sicilian). English is widely understood in tourism, hospitality and among younger people.

A few useful phrases in Italian: buongiorno – good morning/good day, ciao – hi/bye, grazie – thank you.

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Tips Summary

• Car Rental: Book via DiscoverCars. Catania is one of the cheapest airports in Europe – off-season small cars from €10–€20/week.
• Tolls: Set Google Maps to “Avoid Tolls.” Backroads are free and more scenic.
• Fuel: Self-service pumps only. If an attendant helps you, you pay a higher rate.
• Mount Etna Lava: If active, check local Facebook groups for current conditions and trail access.
• Valley of the Temples: Free on the first Sunday of the month. Otherwise €14/person (€7 for EU nationals under 25).
• Season: February is ideal. Cheapest rentals, no crowds, mostly sunny, around 10°C nights – perfect for car sleeping. Avoid summer – rentals at least double, heat can be unbearable, major sights are packed.
• Food: Lidl is the cheapest supermarket in Italy by a clear margin. Local pizza spots: around €5 for a full pizza.
• Speed Limits: Sicily has some of the most chaotic speed limit signage in Europe – mostly due to never-ending roadworks. 50 km/h signs followed by 70–80 km/h zones 10 meters later are common. We were worried about fines being sent through the rental provider after the fact. Never got anything.

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